Please open God’s Word of Truth to 1 Peter 5:5-11 and peruse these verses in your very own Bible. The idea of Bible study is just that – study. Study of Scripture is for your edification and your own personal benefit – it is listening to the Holy Spirit as you do so.
Bible study is a very serious undertaking. God provided His Word for study. Reading through the Bible in a year is one thing, critical study of Scripture is entirely another.
By Way of Introduction
Please notice the Study Notes at the end of our study. These notes examine the original grammatical usage of the Koiné Greek, looking at verbs in most of the verses referenced in our study so that we know the proper usage and exact intent of the original writer. We can know how each word for prayer was actually expressed in a particular context. Isn’t that awesome?
Example: In the Koiné Greek of the New Testament, (pronounced koy-nay) prayer is the Greek word proseuchomai. The word is a verb and means to pray – it is always used of prayer to God, and is the most frequent word in this respect, especially in the Synoptists (first three Gospels) and Acts. It is also used once in Romans 8:26; in Ephesians 6:18; in Philippians 1:9; in 1 Timothy 2:8; and in Hebrews 13:18.
Let’s get started. Notice three words in our opening context in 1 Peter 5:5-11: “humble, casting, and cares.”
Whatever your cares and concerns, God does care, and God is always aware of your every situation. In fact, there never was a time when God did not know your present situation as a believer, and God made provision for your every need billions of years ago.
Prayer should be undertaken with an attitude of reverence, humility, and gratitude, even in the hard times. When you pray to God, believe that He IS, and believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
We should always seek God, in good times and bad; in prosperity and despair; in sickness and in good health. God should be at the forefront of our thinking-life. (Note that this says thinking-life and not emoting-life. Always respond with calm, spiritual maturity rather than react through emotion – doing so will make a difference in your life in countless ways.)
We live in the age of the silent God. Today, God communicates with the believer primarily through His Word, as He has said everything we need to hear for proper function in the Christian way of life. The more of the Word that you have processed, memorized, and stored in your soul, the more He can bring those things to mind when situations arise – He will speak to you through His Word, but only if you have it within your very soul, ready and waiting for battle.
“Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Can you even imagine that the God who designed and established the universe actually cares for us?
In verse 6 of our context: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that (here’s the reason) He may exalt you in due time.” Notice “humble” appears before you cast all your cares in prayer.
As believers, we need to know and claim promises related to prayer:
“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” Matthew 18:19.
“All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” Matthew 21:22.
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” Mark 11:24.
“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live” (Psalm 116:1-2).
Notice the parallelism, which means saying the same thing “twice,” differently. A parallelism reinforces the statement and causes us to think (even meditate) on the message of the statement. I personally love parallelism in the Old Testament Psalms. It is an excellent way to get a point of Truth across to the reader… say it twice, differently.
Notice also there are two types of prayer in this verse: “heard my voice” and a more intense type of prayer – “supplications.” Sometimes we pray in a normal and natural way. At other times we are in such despair that our prayer is intensified and we quickly call out loud to the Lord: “Oh, God,” or “Oh, Lord, help me.”
“I will call upon Him” implies a vocal request. However, it is not necessary to pray by speaking out loud. You can think in your soul as well as speak out loud, both are acceptable. And prayer can be done at any time. In fact, the more we do so, the closer we draw to God, and He to us – we develop a healthy dependency upon Him, one strong enough to replace, perhaps, an unhealthy dependency, be it substance or inter-personal.
Two of my favorite verses on prayer are Isaiah 65:24, and Jeremiah 33:3…
“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
“Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.”
Prayer helps us depend on God, but prayer does so much more – it helps us exploit the depths and the riches of God, and it reinforces our faith.
Prayer is something God has given believers a grace-means to communicate with Him. Prayer keeps us close to and dependent upon God. We pray, and then we rest in faith. And remember, God answers all prayer – be it with a yes, a no, or wait, not now).
But why? Why does He not simply grant our prayer requests and be the ‘genie’ we make Him out to be? Why does He answer like this? It’s simple, really.
God has the big picture.
We do not.
Often, it is said, “it’s the ‘power of prayer’ that gets results” – this is incorrect. It is not the power of prayer – it is God’s power. The power is God’s. It is also said, “prayer changes things.” Prayer does not change anything. It is God who changes things according to His sovereign will.
Be careful to give God the credit and not prayer – prayer is an action, not an entity. Even though unintentional (sub-conscious), statements like these discredit God and give credit to the one who prays, in the action of praying.
Sometimes God changes things, but sometimes God changes our attitude. If God does not remove a difficult situation as we request, then He wants us to deal with it – learn to live with it for our benefit (e.g. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Remember that God is always trying to develop the character of Christ in us, therefore God will always do what is best for His children. God cares for each and every one of us so much that He went to the cross to redeem us. What an awesome God we serve.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.”
In this verse, can you see three facets of prayer? Read it a second time.
“Ask” is speaking or verbal. “Seeking” is prayer for guidance. “Knocking” is intense prayer – supplication.
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13,14).
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).
“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6).
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). You can have an open-ended, running dialogue with the Lord as often as you wish. In fact, the more you do so, the better. Speak to Him as if He were a person, because He is. Pour your heart out – vent to Him. He can take it. He wants you to do these things. But don’t forget to stop, quiet and calm yourself, and listen for His still small voice; you must trust and believe that He has everything under control and everything happens for a reason.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find Grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
When you pray, you utilize a divinely-designed system to reach the very Throne Room of God. (If that didn’t hit home for you, read it again.) And this system was made possible by Christ Jesus when He died for you on Calvary.
Effective, Biblical prayer is ALWAYS directed to the Father (Matthew 6:9), in the name of the Son (John 14:13,14), in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:18). Does this mean you cannot have a conversation with Christ, or even the Holy Spirit in expressions of gratitude? Of course not. But, in Biblical prayer, each Member of the Trinity has a divine role to play, and we have been instructed to address the Father directly, in the name of the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of how we ‘feel’ about prayer, these are our instructions from God Himself. And we must obey them. “Facts over feelings” should always guide our way.
PUBLIC PRAYER:
Make your public prayers short and to the point. Long prayers should be reserved for private prayers. Public prayer should never become a preaching message for the benefit of those present. Public prayer by a pastor, a teacher, a leader, or anyone, should never become a preaching prayer (because, among many other things, it is annoying to those who may not be a believer, thus pushing them further from their own personal salvation):
“And when you pray, you will not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of streets, that they may be seen of men. With truth I say unto you, They have their reward.”
“But you, when you pray, enter into your closet (private chamber or room), and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you. But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:5-7).
Except in an emergency or some unusual situation, private prayer should basically contain a fourfold system in the following order (emphasis added):
First: Thanksgiving
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).
Notice “everything” and “all things” – which include the bad things and the good things; material things and spiritual things. Always thank God for His wonderful Word for it is a piece of Heaven – it is the Mind of Christ – the very thinking of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).
Second: Intercession
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
Prayer for others basically falls into two categories – believer and unbeliever. Remember and think on this: God uses people to reach others for Christ. So, you always want to hold the unbelievers up to God in prayer for their salvation.
Pray for people in various ministries such as pastor, teacher, leaders, missionary, and friends. We are also to pray for those who persecute us in some way, such as spitefully using us for their own gain or your loss – in other words pray even for your enemies (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28). This means we utilize the concepts of grace. Instead of retaliating, give it to the Lord as often as needed, in prayer.
Third: Petition
Prayer for our needs is listed last, though it may not be the last in importance. Most Christians do not have needs. They have desires. Make sure your petitions are not self-centered.
When praying for self, Hebrews 4:16 describes the process: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the Throne of Grace, so that (here’s the reason) we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
When you pray for your needs, your frame of mind should always be God’s will… and your willingness to accept God’s will (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Look it up.
There are many reasons for prayers not answered. The following are just a few:
“Carnality” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) is probably the most prevalent, along with lack of faith, impure motive, and selfishness. Reference James 1:5-8; 4:2-3; Psalm 3:4; Isaiah 1:15; 59:1-3; 1 Peter 3:7.
Your mood or attitude when you pray, such as self-righteousness and pride, will prevent your prayer from being heard or answered. There is also lack of obedience and rebellion (Deuteronomy 1:43-45; reference also 1 John 3:22 and 5:14).
Our prayers should be reverent with humility and appreciation – “childlike” as to the Father (1 Timothy 2:1). Prayer should be sacred and prayed without ulterior motives. Prayer should be done with a true heart – integrity before God.
The greatest prayer ever prayed was given by our Lord and Savior just before He died on the cross in your place. Christ is pouring His very heart out for you and me. Jesus always prayed for the Father’s will – so should we as His children. His unfailing love and devotion for the Father and for His followers should be all the assurance that believers need when praying.
To love Christ as He loved us should be every believer’s goal in life – to be more and more like Christ. Please read and meditate on every Word of Christ in John Chapter 17, and do so often. Do you want to know Jesus intimately? Look up and read all of the prayers of Christ our Savior. Most topical indexes and Topical Bibles list all the prayers of Jesus.
In closing, as often as you will, pray as Jesus taught us to pray (Matthew 6:9-15). Jesus drew great strength from our Heavenly Father – you can, too.
One more thing: When you can, read every word uttered by Christ in the New Testament, and read His words often. Red Letter editions are quite helpful in this endeavor.
STUDY NOTES
The following demonstrations of the grammatical usage for the word “prayer,” from the original koiné Greek taken from: Vine’s Complete Dictionary Of Old and New Testament Words; W.E Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr. Thomas Nelson Publishers, copyrighted 1984, 1996.
Earlier in our study, an example of the most common Greek word for prayer was presented: the verb proseuchomai – to pray.
The next verb usage is the word erotao, to ask is translated by the verb to pray in Luke 14:18,19; 16:27; John 4:31; 14:16; 16:26; 17:9,15,20; in Acts 23:18; 1 John 5:16. This verb also expresses asked, prayed, and request.
Next, is the verb deomai – to desire as in 2 Corinthians 5:20; 8:4. It also can mean beseech”
For your own personal benefit, you may wish to look up these verses as referenced to deepen your understanding and appreciation of God’s Word. Meditate on these things.
Thank you Father for your Wonderful Word. I pray that the Holy Spirit will challenge each student to cherish your Word of Truth and put into practice these principles of prayer. Thank you Lord for loving us from eternity past and forever, in Jesus Name, Amen.
Happy Studying! Blessings in fields of Grace!
Next in our series is Addiction.